1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to extrusion processes. More particularly, the invention relates to processes for extruding a recycled poly(acrylonitrile-c-butadiene-c-styrene) (ABS) substrate and a multilayer product manufactured therefrom.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Decorative laminates are found in many areas of our lives. This allows individuals to replicate different decorative surfaces without incurring the expense of using the real product. They may take the form of flooring, furniture and countertops, as well as a variety of other structural components too numerous to mention. For example, wood decorative laminates have replaced solid wood in the construction of much furniture. Wood decorative laminates have also replaced solid wood in the construction of hardwood floors.
Decorative laminates are commonly manufactured by applying a decorative surfacing layer to a substrate. In the case of countertops, furniture and replicated hardwood flooring, the decorative surfacing layer is commonly bonded to a particle board substrate. Particle board has found wide use in the production of decorative laminates based upon its rigidity and cost.
Unfortunately, particle board is not a perfect substrate. The use of particle board in the production of decorative laminates has numerous limitations which limit the applications and conditions under which decorative laminates may be employed. For example, particle board decorative laminates are generally not well suited for environments where the laminate will continuously be in contact with water or humidity. As those of skill in the art certainly appreciate, particle board decorative laminates placed in wet environments are highly susceptible to warping, shrinkage, and separation between the decorative surfacing layer and the particle board substrate.
Attempts have been made to find an acceptable replacement for the use of particle board in the production of decorative laminates. However, each replacement has been met with limited success. Either the decorative laminates are prohibitively expensive or the laminates do not exhibit the strength and hardness characteristics demonstrated by particle board.
Foamed ABS substrates have been found effective in overcoming the limitations of traditional particle board substrates. However, foamed ABS manufactured from new ABS is far more expensive than particle board when used in the manufacture of decorative laminates, and is, therefore, not commonly used within the industry.
Existing recycling processes require that the plastics be identified and separated based upon their specific composition (for example, by coding as commonly found on many products sold today) before they may be fully recycled fore subsequent use. Where the commingled plastics are not separated prior to subsequent recycling steps, the net result of recycling these products using existing techniques is the production of substantially useless commingled recycled plastic.
Where the recycled goods are composed of a single plastic component (for example, plastic soda and milk containers), recycling is highly cost effective and leads to many useful products. However, the need for separating the assortment of plastic components prior to shredding and granulating makes recycling commingled plastic products highly time consuming and prohibitively expensive. Existing recycling techniques are, therefore, not appropriate where the recycled goods include many components composed of various plastics.
For example, where it is desired to recycle the plastic components of a computer housing (which is primarily composed of ABS, PCABS, and other plastics), the computer housing must first be separated into various components representing the many plastics used in the construction of the computer housing. This is highly time consuming, and makes recycling computer housings cost prohibitive. Such limitations are commonly found with ABS products one might consider appropriate for recycling.
As such, a decorative laminate substrate material is needed which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior decorative laminate substrate and particle board based decorative laminates. The present invention provides such a decorative laminate substrate as well as a decorative laminate made with the substrate.